ATLANTA, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a leading medical device and tissue processing company focused on cardiac and vascular surgery, announced today that its Founder and Executive Chairman, Steven G. Anderson, will receive a 2015 Georgia Bio Industry Growth Award. Mr. Anderson is being honored for his dedication to the implantable medical device industry in the state of Georgia.

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The Industry Growth Awards are the highest honors bestowed each year by Georgia Bio, a private, non-profit association whose members include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, medical centers, universities and research institutes, government groups and other business organizations involved in the development of life science related products and services. The awards recognize individuals in the public and private sectors who have made extraordinary contributions to the growth of Georgia's life sciences industry. The Industry Growth Awards will be presented at the Georgia Bio Annual Awards Dinner on January 22, 2015 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Atlanta Fox Theater.

Mr. Anderson commented, "I am deeply honored to receive this award from a group of my peers in the local Georgia life science community. I would like to thank my colleagues at CryoLife for their invaluable contributions to building a strong cardiac and vascular surgery company that makes a difference in patients' lives each day. We look forward to continuing to execute on our growth strategy, which includes broadening the availability of our products on a global basis and expanding into new high growth segments of the market."

Mr. Anderson is a founder of CryoLife and served as President and CEO from the company's inception in 1984 to September 2014. He now serves as Executive Chairman. Over the past 30 years, CryoLife has grown from 6 employees to 520 employees, and it generated approximately $141 million in annual revenues in fiscal 2013. CryoLife conducted its initial public offering in 1993, and the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1997. The Company does business in over 70 countries worldwide and has offices in London, England, Freiberg, Germany and Singapore.

Prior to founding CryoLife, Mr. Anderson was the Senior Executive Vice President of lntermedics Pacemakers, a company now owned by Boston Scientific. He has specialized in the sales and marketing of implantable medical devices since 1967, when he joined Medtronic as a sales representative in Milwaukee. Mr. Anderson is a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

For more information on the Industry Growth Awards, please visit www.gabio.org/awards.

About CryoLife

CryoLife, Inc. is a leader in medical device manufacturing and distribution and in the processing and distribution of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiac and vascular surgeries. It operates throughout the U.S. and internationally. CryoLife manufactures and distributes BioGlue(®) Surgical Adhesive, an FDA-approved adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels. BioGlue is also CE marked in Europe for use in soft tissue repair and has received additional marketing approvals in several other countries throughout the world. CryoLife's BioFoam(®) Surgical Matrix is CE marked in Europe for use as an adjunct to hemostasis in cardiovascular surgery and on abdominal parenchymal tissues (liver and spleen) when control of bleeding by ligature or conventional methods is ineffective or impractical. CryoLife distributes PerClot(®), a powdered hemostat, in Europe and other select international countries. CryoLife has received FDA 510(k) clearance for a topical version of PerClot, which is being marketed in the U.S. for use in topical applications, and is conducting a pivotal clinical trial in the U.S. for potential FDA approval of the surgical version of PerClot. CryoLife specializes in the treatment of coronary artery disease for severe angina using a laser console system and single-use, fiber-optic handpieces to perform a surgical procedure known as Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR). CryoLife markets the HeRO(®) Graft, which is a solution for end-stage renal disease in certain hemodialysis patients. CryoLife distributes ProCol(®), a natural biological graft derived from a bovine mesenteric vein that provides vascular access for end-stage renal disease hemodialysis patients, which is approved for sale in the U.S. CryoLife's CryoValve(®) SG pulmonary heart valve, processed using CryoLife's proprietary SynerGraft(®) technology, has FDA 510(k) clearance for the replacement of diseased, damaged, malformed, or malfunctioning native or prosthetic pulmonary valves. CryoLife's CryoPatch(®) SG pulmonary cardiac patch has FDA 510(k) clearance for the repair or reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), which is a surgery commonly performed in children with congenital heart defects.

For additional information about the company, visit CryoLife's website: http://www.cryolife.com.

Contacts:



    CryoLife                    The Ruth Group

    D. Ashley Lee               Nick Laudico / Zack Kubow

    Executive Vice President,
     Chief Financial Officer                              646-536-7030 / 7020

    and Chief Operating Officer nlaudico@theruthgroup.com

    Phone: 770-419-3355         zkubow@theruthgroup.com

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SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.